Roundel Box
1550-1620 (made)
| Place of origin |
Eleven Circular Platters (Roundels). Beechwood, painted on one side in various colours, with devices enclosing scriptural and other mottoes in old English characters. In a circular box, on the lid of which is painted a shield of arms.
Each roundel in the set has two outer, highly decorated rims- the outermost is a configuration of knot work: Celtic knots or lovers’ knots, while the inner band contains foliage, leaves, flowers and short lines of verse on a dotted background. The central motif and verse sit within a divided circle. The colours of this set are red, blue, white, green, yellow, black, and orange with gold applied to the surface.
Inscriptions:
1.‘'A wyffe yt married husbands iii / Was neuer wished thereto by me. / I wolder my wiffe sholde rather diee, / Then for my deathe to weepe or cryee'
'Set an order in ye house for yu shalt die and not lyue / Death is better than a wretched lyffe or contenual sickness'
2 ‘…he yt reade this uerse euen now / May happe to haue a lowering sowe / Whose look are nothing liked soo bade / As is her tonge to make hym madd’
‘If any man saye I loue God and hateth his brother he is a lyar – 1 John 4’
‘Everyone that hateth his brother is a man slayer – 1 John 3’
3.'…./ My wyffe and I can neuer agree / A knavishe quene by … / The good mans breetche she think to were'
‘Accuse noo man prevelie – Ecclesiastes 5’
‘Allowe not ye multitude to euel – Ecclesiastes 5’
4.‘Take upp thy fortune with good hapoe, With ritches yu doste fyl yi lappe Yet lesse were better for yi store / Thy quietue .. sholde be the more’
5.‘Thou haste a shrowe to thy good man / Perhapes an onthrist to what than / Kepe hym as longe as he can lyue / And at his end his passe port geue'
‘A man yt useth muche swearinge shall be fylled with wickedness and ye plauge shall neuer goo from his house - Ecclesiastes 32’
6.‘This woman maye haue husbands fyue / But neuer whilst she is a lyue / Yett dothe she hope so well to spedd / Geue upp yt hoope yt shall not nedde'
‘'Haue noo plesure in lyenge for ther …. Naught - Ecclesiastes 7’
7.'Aske yu [wife] yf she can tell / …ther yu in mariage hathe spedde well / …let her ….as she dothe knowe / For … … she will saye noo'
'… u doo good univ all men but moste of all unto ye housholde of faithe'
' Reatche yi hande unto ye poore yt God maye blesse ye wth plentiousnes'
8.'Who art ye hapiest man a lyue / For euery thinge dothe make ye thriue / Yet maye yi [ruyffe] yi maister bee / Therefore take thirst & all for me'
'… must enter into ye kingdom of God throughe muche troble &aflyctions – Ecclesiastes 14’
'All yt wil lyue Godlie in Christ […] muste suffer persecution 2 Timothy 3'
9.'If y be younge, then mary not yett; If y be olde y haste more wyt: For younge men's wyues will not be taught, And olde men's wyues be good for naught'
‘A righteous man shall lyve by this faith – Romans 10’
10.Thou maist be poore …./ ……/ Thy mynde maye yet so quietly be / That yu maist …as muche as iii [three]'
‘The root of all euel is couetousness – Timothy [?]’
11.If that a / bacheler thou bee, / Keepe the so still bee / ruled by mee: Heaste / that repentaunce all / to late, Reward the with a broken / pate
‘speake euel of noo man - Titus 5’
‘Be not hastie of thy tonge – Romans [?]’
‘Learne before though speake - Ecclesiastes 18’
‘Talke wiselie and honestlie - Ecclesiastes 5’
Each roundel in the set has two outer, highly decorated rims- the outermost is a configuration of knot work: Celtic knots or lovers’ knots, while the inner band contains foliage, leaves, flowers and short lines of verse on a dotted background. The central motif and verse sit within a divided circle. The colours of this set are red, blue, white, green, yellow, black, and orange with gold applied to the surface.
Inscriptions:
1.‘'A wyffe yt married husbands iii / Was neuer wished thereto by me. / I wolder my wiffe sholde rather diee, / Then for my deathe to weepe or cryee'
'Set an order in ye house for yu shalt die and not lyue / Death is better than a wretched lyffe or contenual sickness'
2 ‘…he yt reade this uerse euen now / May happe to haue a lowering sowe / Whose look are nothing liked soo bade / As is her tonge to make hym madd’
‘If any man saye I loue God and hateth his brother he is a lyar – 1 John 4’
‘Everyone that hateth his brother is a man slayer – 1 John 3’
3.'…./ My wyffe and I can neuer agree / A knavishe quene by … / The good mans breetche she think to were'
‘Accuse noo man prevelie – Ecclesiastes 5’
‘Allowe not ye multitude to euel – Ecclesiastes 5’
4.‘Take upp thy fortune with good hapoe, With ritches yu doste fyl yi lappe Yet lesse were better for yi store / Thy quietue .. sholde be the more’
5.‘Thou haste a shrowe to thy good man / Perhapes an onthrist to what than / Kepe hym as longe as he can lyue / And at his end his passe port geue'
‘A man yt useth muche swearinge shall be fylled with wickedness and ye plauge shall neuer goo from his house - Ecclesiastes 32’
6.‘This woman maye haue husbands fyue / But neuer whilst she is a lyue / Yett dothe she hope so well to spedd / Geue upp yt hoope yt shall not nedde'
‘'Haue noo plesure in lyenge for ther …. Naught - Ecclesiastes 7’
7.'Aske yu [wife] yf she can tell / …ther yu in mariage hathe spedde well / …let her ….as she dothe knowe / For … … she will saye noo'
'… u doo good univ all men but moste of all unto ye housholde of faithe'
' Reatche yi hande unto ye poore yt God maye blesse ye wth plentiousnes'
8.'Who art ye hapiest man a lyue / For euery thinge dothe make ye thriue / Yet maye yi [ruyffe] yi maister bee / Therefore take thirst & all for me'
'… must enter into ye kingdom of God throughe muche troble &aflyctions – Ecclesiastes 14’
'All yt wil lyue Godlie in Christ […] muste suffer persecution 2 Timothy 3'
9.'If y be younge, then mary not yett; If y be olde y haste more wyt: For younge men's wyues will not be taught, And olde men's wyues be good for naught'
‘A righteous man shall lyve by this faith – Romans 10’
10.Thou maist be poore …./ ……/ Thy mynde maye yet so quietly be / That yu maist …as muche as iii [three]'
‘The root of all euel is couetousness – Timothy [?]’
11.If that a / bacheler thou bee, / Keepe the so still bee / ruled by mee: Heaste / that repentaunce all / to late, Reward the with a broken / pate
‘speake euel of noo man - Titus 5’
‘Be not hastie of thy tonge – Romans [?]’
‘Learne before though speake - Ecclesiastes 18’
‘Talke wiselie and honestlie - Ecclesiastes 5’
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 13 parts.
|
| Materials and techniques | Beechwood, painted and varnished |
| Physical description | Eleven Circular Platters (Roundels). Beechwood, painted on one side in various colours, with devices enclosing scriptural and other mottoes in old English characters. In a circular box, on the lid of which is painted a shield of arms. Each roundel in the set has two outer, highly decorated rims- the outermost is a configuration of knot work: Celtic knots or lovers’ knots, while the inner band contains foliage, leaves, flowers and short lines of verse on a dotted background. The central motif and verse sit within a divided circle. The colours of this set are red, blue, white, green, yellow, black, and orange with gold applied to the surface. Inscriptions: 1.‘'A wyffe yt married husbands iii / Was neuer wished thereto by me. / I wolder my wiffe sholde rather diee, / Then for my deathe to weepe or cryee' 'Set an order in ye house for yu shalt die and not lyue / Death is better than a wretched lyffe or contenual sickness' 2 ‘…he yt reade this uerse euen now / May happe to haue a lowering sowe / Whose look are nothing liked soo bade / As is her tonge to make hym madd’ ‘If any man saye I loue God and hateth his brother he is a lyar – 1 John 4’ ‘Everyone that hateth his brother is a man slayer – 1 John 3’ 3.'…./ My wyffe and I can neuer agree / A knavishe quene by … / The good mans breetche she think to were' ‘Accuse noo man prevelie – Ecclesiastes 5’ ‘Allowe not ye multitude to euel – Ecclesiastes 5’ 4.‘Take upp thy fortune with good hapoe, With ritches yu doste fyl yi lappe Yet lesse were better for yi store / Thy quietue .. sholde be the more’ 5.‘Thou haste a shrowe to thy good man / Perhapes an onthrist to what than / Kepe hym as longe as he can lyue / And at his end his passe port geue' ‘A man yt useth muche swearinge shall be fylled with wickedness and ye plauge shall neuer goo from his house - Ecclesiastes 32’ 6.‘This woman maye haue husbands fyue / But neuer whilst she is a lyue / Yett dothe she hope so well to spedd / Geue upp yt hoope yt shall not nedde' ‘'Haue noo plesure in lyenge for ther …. Naught - Ecclesiastes 7’ 7.'Aske yu [wife] yf she can tell / …ther yu in mariage hathe spedde well / …let her ….as she dothe knowe / For … … she will saye noo' '… u doo good univ all men but moste of all unto ye housholde of faithe' ' Reatche yi hande unto ye poore yt God maye blesse ye wth plentiousnes' 8.'Who art ye hapiest man a lyue / For euery thinge dothe make ye thriue / Yet maye yi [ruyffe] yi maister bee / Therefore take thirst & all for me' '… must enter into ye kingdom of God throughe muche troble &aflyctions – Ecclesiastes 14’ 'All yt wil lyue Godlie in Christ […] muste suffer persecution 2 Timothy 3' 9.'If y be younge, then mary not yett; If y be olde y haste more wyt: For younge men's wyues will not be taught, And olde men's wyues be good for naught' ‘A righteous man shall lyve by this faith – Romans 10’ 10.Thou maist be poore …./ ……/ Thy mynde maye yet so quietly be / That yu maist …as muche as iii [three]' ‘The root of all euel is couetousness – Timothy [?]’ 11.If that a / bacheler thou bee, / Keepe the so still bee / ruled by mee: Heaste / that repentaunce all / to late, Reward the with a broken / pate ‘speake euel of noo man - Titus 5’ ‘Be not hastie of thy tonge – Romans [?]’ ‘Learne before though speake - Ecclesiastes 18’ ‘Talke wiselie and honestlie - Ecclesiastes 5’ |
| Dimensions | From catalogue Roundels, D. 5 ½ in.; box, H. 1 ½ in., D. 6 ½ in. (Roundels, D. 14 cm; box, H. 3.8 cm, D. 16.5 cm) |
| Gallery label | BOX OF ROUNDELS
ENGLISH; first half 16th century
These thin wooden trenchers, known as roundels, were used plain-side up for cheese or marchpanes at the end of Elizabethan and early Stuart banquets. After Grace, the roundels were reversed to reveal short verses, which were then sung or recited by the diners in turn.(pre October 2000) |
| Historical context | The purpose of these highly decorated wooden disks has been discussed and written about for many centuries with two main hypotheses suggested regarding their function. The first is that their plain sides were used as plates for puddings and sweetmeats at Elizabethan banquets and New Year’s Day feasts, before being turned over to reveal the brightly coloured designs. It is suggested that at the end of the banquet members would read their verses aloud to the rest of the company to initiate jovial or philosophical conversation, and in doing so the performers would be able to display their courtly prowess to the party, in the hopes of elevating their social status within the group. A second theory is that they were used exclusively as an after-dinner game and did not come in to contact with food at all. It has been suggested that participants would draw or be given a roundel which would prompt discussion or act in the way tarot cards do today, perhaps predicting the holder’s future. For contextual information, see Victoria Yeoman, ‘Speaking plates: text, performance, and banqueting trenchers in Early Modern Europe’, in Renaissance Studies Vol. 31 No. 5, pp. 755-779 Further information: -Heal, Felicity. “Food Gifts, the Household and the Politics of Exchange in Early Modern England.” Past & Present, no. 199, 2008, pp. 41–70. -Mary E. Hazard, Elizabethan Silent Language, 2000 (University of Nebraska Press The Society of Antiquaries of London- proceedings. Second series, vol. 2, 1861-64, p.175 -T.P., S. E. and M. ‘Roundels fully explained’,The Gentleman's Magazine, and Historical Chronicle. Vol. 63, pt. 2, p1187-9. -W. and D., ‘The Use and Antiquity of Beechen Roundels examined’, The Gentleman’s Magazine, and Historical Chronicle. Vol. 67, pt. 1, (1797) p. 281 – 283. -Whistler, Lawrence. 2015. The English Festivals (Dean Street Press) |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | 6896 to L-1860 |
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| Record created | May 1, 2001 |
| Record URL |
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